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The South's Best Places to Trick or Treat

Looking for a safe place to trick-or-treat with your family? Locals share secrets on the top places to trick-or-treat in a few of our favorite Southern cities.

We’ve scoured the South for some of the best, family-friendly places to trick-or-treat this Halloween. Many neighborhoods barricade entire blocks so that trick-or-treaters can enjoy the night. Some are known for giving out tons of Halloween candy. Others have the spooky Halloween decorations and pumpkins that you just can’t miss. Visit Charlotte’s Great Elizabeth Pumpkin Wall, or Delray Beach’s Kidsfest. Dexter Avenue in Alabama has the best Halloween celebration in Birmingham; the entire block shuts down for one spooky, festive, family-friendly party. In New Orleans, head towards State Street to see the spookiest decorations in the Crescent City. Once you figure out where to trick-or-treat in the South, you and your children will have the best Halloween yet!

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Winston Salem, NC: South Main Street

oldsalem.org

Old Salem Museums & Gardens on South Main Street hosts its popular trick-or-treating event every year. Children can trick-or-treat at the doors of the historic buildings along Main Street between Salem Square and the Frank L. Horton Museum Center from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Volunteers and residents hand out candy along the way.

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Birmingham, AL: Mountain Brook’s Crestline Village

Kaitlin Candelaria / Over the Mountain Journal

Dexter Avenue in Mountain Brook’s Crestline Village is “one big party," according to locals. People go all out decorating, the streets are virtually closed, and you can sit outside and watch people go by while munching on the best cheese sticks around. Families often buy more than $500 in candy to dole out during the community’s Mystics of Mountain Brook Halloween parade.

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New Orleans, LA: State Street

Doug MacCash / The Times-Picayune

When asked where the Crescent City’s best trick-or-treating is found, New Orleans locals all have the same answer: State Street between Ferret and St. Charles. The decorations are amazing, the houses are historic, and the candy is far above par. Don’t miss Louellen Berger’s legendary decorations—at the corner of St. Charles and State, her yard boasts 50 skeletons designed to represent various public figures and celebrities.

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Austin, TX: Travis Heights

Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau

Travis Heights neighborhood is a great place for central Austin trick or treating, but be warned—it can get so popular that residents often are overwhelmed by candy-seeking kids. Circle C’s winding neighborhood streets have safe sidewalks, and limit vehicular traffic to a minimum speed. Another perk of the suburbs—no through traffic will limit your children’s adventures for candy. Plus, unlike other suburban neighborhoods in northwest Austin, the terrain is relatively flat.

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Delray Beach, FL: Atlantic Avenue

southfloridafinds.com

Every year on the Saturday before Halloween, more than 2,000 children gather for an afternoon of trick-or-treating on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Delray Beach. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the beach town’s Halloween parade, which is followed by the annual Kidsfest in Veterans Park that features food, crafts, bounce houses, and live entertainment. Additionally, Jupiter’s Abacoa neighborhood, North Palm Beach Heights, is known for festive decorations and lively trick-or-treating.

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Richmond, VA: Hanover Avenue

Phil Riggan / Richmond Times Dispatch

According to the Richmond Visitor’s Center, Hanover Avenue in the Fan District “is the place to be on Halloween night in Richmond.” With historic houses decked out in scary and fun decorations, the neighborhood gets better every year. Whether you’re looking for gore or family-friendly fun (with plenty of candy), the 1900 block of Hanover is sure to please. Closed to traffic from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., celebrations continue all the way down to the 2300 block.

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Atlanta, GA: Inman Park and Little Five Points

Karen Burkenpas / WABE News

Inman Park is the oldest suburb in Atlanta. Its grand Victorian homes look a little bit like haunted houses throughout the year, but especially so when residents decorate for Halloween. Full of community-minded and involved residents, this is a pleasant, family-friendly spot to trick-or-treat. Inman Park is also within walking distance of the location of one of the nation’s best Halloween festivals in Little Five Points. You can also head over to Paces Ferry to escape the city skyline and roam amid old houses and sheltered cul-de-sacs.

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Hattiesburg, MS: Adeline Street

Eric J. Shelton / Hattiesburg American

Adeline Street, located right near the Hattiesburg Zoo, is blocked off to traffic by police barricades on the night of Halloween. The houses that line the road are decked out in spooky Halloween décor, and locals say that this area of town is a favorite place to frequent for trick-or-treating.

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Nashville, TN: Richland Avenue

Mary Hance / The Tennessean

Head to Richland Avenue, where trick-or-treaters carve and display hundreds of pumpkins along the street. Private parties are thrown throughout the area. Additionally, the beautiful homes that line Belmont Blvd have plenty of sidewalk room for kids. Homeowners go all out with decorations and offer up plenty of candy.